Interview with Mimi Rae: Finding identity and evolution of sound
Portsmouth’s Mimi Rae opens up about the making of her latest EP—a project rooted in personal growth, musical complexity, and stepping away from the "local artist" label. We chatted about her creative sparks, manifesting dream UK venues, and the release of her most personal track yet, "Mexico."
The Evolution of Identity
Q: How does this EP feel different from your earlier singles like 'Deep End' or 'Matter of Time'?
Mimi Rae: I feel like I can really see my personal growth as a musician and within my artist identity in this EP, especially compared to my earlier tracks (specifically Deep End!) as I feel like they’re much more musically complex, and capture the feelings I am writing about in a much stronger manner than my earlier material. I still love Deep End to bits but I am extremely proud of the EP and can’t wait for the world to hear how my music has grown too!
uk bucket list
Q: You’ve played the Wedgewood Rooms and Victorious Festival—what is the 'bucket list' UK venue you’re manifesting for this EP tour?
Mimi Rae: For this specific run of shows, I’m manifesting playing in new cities and to new faces, and hopefully growing away from the “local artist” identity to some degree. Some of my dream venues on a smaller scale would definitely be Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff, Omeara in London and The Jacaranda in Liverpool, so we’ll keep some fingers crossed for the future…
The dream festival
Q: If you were to curate a festival lineup with three other indie artists right now, who is joining you on stage?
Mimi Rae: Ooooh that’s a tricky one as there are so many indie artists that I love! I’d have to say with some certainty though, that it would have to be Chloe Slater, Nieve Ella and Florence Road. All three artists inspire me and my music to no end, it would be a DREAM.
The creative vision
Q: What usually serves as the initial spark for your songwriting—is it a lyric, a melody, or a specific emotion?
Mimi Rae: It really depends on the song! Most of the time it is usually a nice chord progression that I hear from an artist I like, or find myself on the guitar. I’ll play around with it for a while and usually the melody follows suit quite fast. Sometimes it starts with a word or lyric though, and I work around that (for example “Matter of Time" was entirely chord based starting point, whereas for “Playing Pretend” I wrote the lyrics before finding the chords and melody).
Q: If you could step into the studio with any artist or songwriter today, who would be at the top of your list?
Mimi Rae: I would LOVE to write/record/collaborate with Matt Maltese, what a songwriter. I think his lyricism and songwriting is so incredible, so at the moment at least I would definitely say Matt Maltese!
Sharing "Mexico"
Q: Of all the tracks on the upcoming EP, which one are you most proud of or most excited for your fans to hear?
Mimi Rae: I am incredibly excited for “Mexico” (which was released 17/04! 👀). It’s a completely new track that we haven’t played much live, so it’s completely new as opposed to the rest of the EP which has been played a lot live over the past 2 years! Mexico was recorded and produced in a completely different way to the rest of the EP and is a track extremely close to my heart, so I cannot wait to share it with my listeners!
What’s Next?
Mimi Rae: After the EP there are a few shows on the horizon that I’m yet to announce… but they’re coming (I promise!). For now, I’m playing in Portsmouth at The Lens (Portsmouth Guildhall) on the 25th June supporting Tez on their UK tour.
Tickets:Grab them here
Listen: "Mexico" is available on all streaming platforms now.